Raising A Lawn Naturally

Stealing away beach days may still be a priority, but lawn lovers take note: This is the season to tend to those beloved green-scapes that most likely turned brown and brittle from the summer heat.

Fall is the ideal time for re-seeding, because you want that grass to go into the winter with density," said Tamson Yeh, turf and land management specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension, at a lawn care session at Bridge Gardens this week. "In the springtime, those gaps will fill up with crab grass," said Ms. Yeh.

The cooperative has joined forces with the Peconic Land Trust and the Perfect Earth Project, an organization that promotes toxin-free land management, to offer free weekly lawn and landscape advice at the Trust's Bridge Gardens in Bridgehampton. Arborist Paul Wagner, of Treewise Organics and Soil FoodWeb NY, will be on hand to answer questions each week through October.

"Usually on the heels of summer, you see a lot of crab grass and other weeds that move in; you get a lot of opportunistic weeds," Mr. Wagner explained on Wednesday, September 9.

The use of chemicals to kill unwanted fungus or pests has become the accepted methodology, but if given the chance, lawns can be healthy, attractive organisms with strong, natural defense systems all on their own.

"One of the expectations that people bring to this whole idea is that you can't have a good lawn without chemicals, so that's just not true," said Edwina von Gal, founder of Perfect Earth Project, over the phone last Thursday. "So, number one is positive attitude."

Next comes changing some bad habits, starting with one of the most important—and incidentally, overlooked—lawn care practices: mowing.

"The incidence of weeds is dramatically higher when you cut a lawn down to 2.5 inches versus 3.5 inches," said Mr. Wagner. The ideal height of grass is between 3 and 4 inches. At greater heights, grass can better photosynthesize and grow longer roots, which better absorb nutrients. Higher grass also provides less sunlight for weeds, which thrive in dry, sunny places.

Before re-seeding a lawn, Mr. Wagner suggests removing as many weeds as possible by hand. The more that can be discarded, the fewer that will return the next year. Then use a plug aerator to remove a core or plug of grass and soil from the lawn, which allows air, water and any nutrients to reach deeper into the soil and, subsequently, the roots.

An aerator will also help break up thatch, a basket weave-like layer that develops between the grass and soil surface and is made of roots, stems and shoots. Ultimately, thatch will prevent water from traveling down to grass roots.

Next, spread the grass seed, especially on the open patches of soil where weeds once stood, and top it with compost or topsoil to help fertilize and speed up germination. Rick Bogusch, the garden manager at Bridge Gardens, also adds clover seed to the mix, which can help shade out weeds and offers "a nice, meadow-y look," he said.

While seeds germinate, make sure they stay moist by watering them three times a day for five to seven minutes, Mr. Wagner suggested. Once the seeds start to grow, watering times and frequency can be reduced.

Each expert agreed that caring for a lawn organically will pay dividends in the end. For one, it will reduce exposure to toxins for pets and children, who have the most contact with grass, Mr. Bogusch and Mr Wagner both noted. Secondly, a toxin-free plant can better fight off pests.

"Fungicides also kill off beneficial fungus that's keeping grass plants healthy in the soil," Mr. Wagner said as an example. "To kill one specific fungus above ground kills hundreds of species below ground, which weakens the plant's natural defense system, predisposing it to other disease fungus."

"Most of this stuff is then running into our environment, because only a small percentage of it is actually absorbed," said Ms. von Gal about toxins.

"The Land Trust sees the relationship between the land, water quality and the use of toxins, fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides," said Mr. Bogusch. "What we'd like to show is that … you can have the lawn you want without using toxins, and everybody wins that way."

Mr. Wagner is offering lawn and landscape tips at Bridge Gardens every Wednesday through October from 2 to 5 p.m.

"